Our parasha presents the story of Isaac’s sojourn with Abimelech, the King of the Philistines: “And there was a famine in the land, aside from the first famine that had been in the days of Abraham, and Isaac went to Abimelech the king of the Philistines, to Gerar.” (Sefer Bereishit 26:1, this and all Bible and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach) Apparently, Isaac was planning to repeat his father’s journey and travel from Abimelech’s kingdom to Egypt. Hashem, however, had different plans for him:

And the L-rd appeared to him, and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land that I will tell you. Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you, and I will bless you, for to you and to your offspring will I give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham, your father. And I will multiply your children like the stars of the heavens, and I will give your descendants all these lands, and all the nations of the earth will bless themselves by your seed.” (26:2-4)

At this point in the narrative, the Torah cites the reason as to why Isaac and his future children are to receive the blessings that have been vouchsafed to them: “Because Abraham hearkened to My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My instructions.” (26:5) Rashi (1040-1105) explains the terms, “charge, commandments, statutes and instructions” in the following manner:

And kept My charge: [Referring to] decrees to distance [himself] from transgressing the warnings in the Torah, e.g. secondary prohibitions to prevent incest from occurring, and the Rabbinic decrees to safeguard the prohibitions of the Sabbath. My commandments: [Referring to] things, which, had they not been written, would have been fit to be commanded, e.g. [prohibitions against] robbery and bloodshed. My statutes: [Referring to] things that the evil inclination and the nations of the world argue against, e.g. [the prohibitions against] eating pork and wearing garments of wool and linen for which no reason [is given], but [which are] the decree of the King and His statutes over His subjects. And My instructions: To include the Oral Law, the laws given to Moses from Sinai.

As the Ramban (Nachmanides, 1194-1270) notes in his commentary on our pasuk (verse), Rashi’s gloss is congruent with the rabbinic concept that maintains, “Abraham fulfilled and kept the Torah prior to it having been given [at Mount Sinai].” This idea is given powerful voice in two well-known statements in the Mishnah and Talmud:

The Ramban raises a series of formidable questions that challenge the straight-forward interpretation of these two passages:

One may very well ask: If we are to accept [the notion that “Abraham fulfilled and kept the Torah prior to it having been given [at Mount Sinai],” how is it that Jacob raised up a monument (28:18) and married two sisters [both acts that are prohibited by the Torah]?…Moreover, how did Amram marry his aunt (Sefer Shemot 6:20), and how did Moses establish 12 monuments? (Sefer Shemot 24:4) And how is it possible that they [i.e. Jacob, Amram and Moses] would permit themselves such actions when they were precisely those activities that our father Abraham had prohibited himself to do?

At this juncture, the Ramban presents a profound response that has become a fundamental element in understanding the phrase, “Abraham fulfilled and kept the Torah prior to it having been given [at Mount Sinai]:

Based upon the thought of our rabbis, it appears to me, that our father Abraham learned the entire Torah through holy inspiration (b’ruach hakodesh) and assiduously worked at mastering its content as he searched for the underlying rationale of its commandments and essential principles. Moreover, he kept the Torah in its entirety on the level of one who is not commanded, yet volitionally chooses to do so (aino metzuveh v’oseh). In addition, his actual practice of the Torah was solely in the Land of Israel. As such, Jacob married two sisters outside the Land of Israel, so, too, did Amram [marry his aunt]…

In sum, the Ramban presents three constitutive elements of what Chazal (our Sages of blessed memory) called the “Brit Avot” (the Patriarchic Covenant):

Abraham learned the entire Torah b’ruach hakodesh.

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob chose to fulfill the entire Torah on the level of one who is aino metzuveh v’oseh.

Under the Brit Avot, the actual practice of the Commandments was restricted to the Land of Israel.

Given the legal limitations of the Patriarchic Covenant, as presented by the Ramban, we may well refer to a question that was asked by my rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993): “What did [this] covenant impose upon the Jewish people, and what has been its enduring relevance and influence over the centuries?” We are fortunate to have his penetrating reply:

The Patriarchic Covenant apparently imparts teachings to the Jewish people by example rather than by prescription. While the Sinaitic Covenant [i.e. the covenant enacted by our receiving the Torah] tells the Jew what to do and how to act as a member of the covenantal community, the Patriarchic Covenant addresses the “I” awareness of the Jew, teaching him how to experience his Jewishness. It sensitizes him in specifically Jewish ways; it expresses attitudes, ideals, and sentiments which still speak to us. It guides our feelings and consciousness rather than our physical acts, for we are duty-bound not only to act as Jews, but to feel as Jews. In a word, it is the backdrop of the Sinaitic Covenant; the latter is the behavioral fulfillment of the truths, values, and Jewish self- awareness established by the former…Thus, all of Jewish history and the basic character of the Jew were shaped by the covenantal period of the patriarchs. Their life-experiences still nourish our self-consciousness as Jews even as the Sinaitic Covenant guides the format of our lives. (Rabbi Abraham R. Besdin, Man of Faith in the Modern World: Reflections of the Rav, “Shaping Jewish Character,” pages 67-69, brackets and underlining my own)

For the Rav, the Brit Avot emerges as our emotional and psychological ballast in the midst of the wave-tossed sea of a world that ceaselessly challenges our values and, far too often, our very right to exist. Moreover, in my estimation, it teaches us that “we are duty-bound [to] not only to act as Jews, but to feel as Jews” so that, like Abraham, we may be ever sensitive to the needs of all mankind and ultimately be metkane haolam b’malchut Sha - dai (improve the entire world through the Kingdom of G-d). With the Almighty’s help, may this time come soon and in our days, v’chane yihi ratzon.​Shabbat Shalom

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One of the highlights of our parasha is Abraham’s considered effort to find a proper wife for his beloved son, Isaac, from amongst the daughters of his birthplace. Given his age, and the considerable distance, Abraham was unable to undertake the journey from Eretz Yisrael to his homeland, “Aram Naharaim, the city of Nahor.” He, therefore, sent his unnamed trusted servant, identified by our Sages as “Eliezer,” as his shaliach (messenger) to accomplish this destiny-laden assignment.

Fascinatingly, Abraham does not give Eliezer any explicit criteria by which to choose Isaac’s life-partner. Instead, he enjoins him:

And I will adjure you by the L-rd, the G-d of the heaven and the G-d of the earth that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose midst I dwell. But you shall go to my land and to my birthplace, and you shall take a wife for my son, for Isaac. (Sefer Bereishit 24:3-4, this and all Tanach and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press complete Tanach)

At this juncture we might well ask, “Why did Abraham command his servant to ‘not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose midst I dwell?’” The 13th century French commentator, Rav Chaim Paltiel zatzal (known as “Rav Paltiel of Falaise”) suggests the following answer that is followed by other Torah exegetes as well:

Abraham did not want [Isaac to marry Eliezer’s daughter or any other Canaanite woman], since he [Eliezer] was included in the category of being cursed [i.e. since the time of Noah, when Noah cursed Ham the father of all future Canaanites]. Therefore, it would be anathema for someone cursed to be joined in marriage to someone who was blessed [Isaac]. (Commentary on the Torah, Sefer Bereishit, Parashat Chayeh Sarah, 24:3, translation and brackets my own.)

We now understand why Abraham strenuously rejected any notion of marrying Isaac to one of the maidens of Canaan. Yet, how did Eliezer know which middah (ethical characteristic) was necessary for Isaac’s future wife? The early 19th century Chasidic master, Rav Chaim ben Solomon Tyrer zatzal, known as the Be’er Mayim Chaim after the name of his most famous work, suggests that everyone during Abraham’s time knew that he was the personification of chesed (kindness). Indeed, Eliezer had witnessed countless examples of his master’s overwhelming care and concern for others and all those in neeed. As such, he focused upon chesed as the singular middah for Isaac’s spouse:

Behold, our father Abraham was known to everyone as the first ba’al chesed (master of loving-kindness) in world history. Abraham, throughout his entire life and with all his strength, pursued opportunities wherein he could bring guests to his home in order to give them food and drink…as the verse states, “Now the L-rd appeared to him in the plains of Mamre, and he was sitting at the entrance of the tent when the day was hot.” (18:1) [The correct interpretation of this verse is that] at first Abraham sent Eliezer to see if there were any potential guests traveling on their way – and he did not believe him when he stated there was no one to be found. Therefore, Abraham, himself, went to ascertain whether or not he might be able to find any [desert travelers]. (Commentary to Sefer Bereishit, Parashat Chayeh Sarah 24:14, this, and all translations and markings my own)

Given Abraham’s pronounced emphasis upon chesed, Eliezer knew full well that this was the middah he needed Rebecca to demonstrate if she was to be deemed worthy to enter his master’s family. Thus the Torah states:

And he [Eliezer] said, “O L-rd, the G-d of my master Abraham, please cause to happen to me today, and perform loving-kindness with my master, Abraham. Behold, I am standing by the water fountain, and the daughters of the people of the city are coming out to draw water. And it will be, [that] the maiden to whom I will say, ‘Lower your pitcher and I will drink’ and she will say, ‘Drink, and I will also water your camels, she is the one that You designated for Your servant, for Isaac, and through her may I know that You have performed loving-kindness with my master.” (24:12-14)

The Be’er Mayim Chaim explicates this passage in the following manner:

[Given the unique import of chesed in Abraham’s family, Eliezer] wanted to test Rebecca as to whether or not she was a practitioner of loving-kindness, for only if this were to be the case would she be fitting to enter the house of Abraham. Therefore, if he would say to her, “Please give me a little bit of water to drink,” and she would respond, “Drink and I will also provide water for your camels,” [i.e. more than that which was requested] then, You [Hashem], will have proven incontrovertibly that she has the ethical characteristic of loving-kindness within her…

The Be’er Mayim Chaim concludes his penetrating analysis with a deep insight into the genuine nature of chesed, “The authentic sign of gemilut chasadim (loving-kindness) is that one runs after the unfortunate and dispirited [to help them], and if such an individual should come on their own – one goes beyond their immediate request [in order to truly provide for their needs].” Rebecca was just such a person and was, therefore, privileged to become one of the great matriarchs of the Jewish people.

Our Sages teach us that the middah of chesed is one of the constitutive elements of the Jewish people (Talmud Bavli, Yevamot 79a). Therefore, with Hashem’s help, and with Abraham’s and Rebecca’s example ever before us, may we pursue lives that represent the highest level of true gemilut chasadim. V’chane yihi ratzon.

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There are two times in Sefer Bereishit wherein we encounter the phrase, “Va’ye’he acharei hadevarim ha’aleh” (“And it came to pass after these matters”), toward the conclusion of our parasha and, later, in Parashat Vayechi:

And it came to pass after these matters, that it was told to Abraham saying: “Behold Milcah, she also bore sons to Nahor your brother.” (22:20)And it came to pass after these matters that [someone] said to Joseph, “Behold, your father is ill.” So he took his two sons with him, Manasseh and Ephraim. (48:1, all Tanach and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)

Each pasuk (verse) portends a significant turning point in Jewish history. The first is the prologue to, “And Bethuel fathered Rebecca,” announcing the birth of the future wife of Isaac, and mother of Jacob and Eisav; the second pasuk foreshadows the passing of Ya’akov Avinu (our Father Ya’akov), the transition from the Age of the Patriarchs to the Age of the Jewish Nation, and the ultimate creation of the covenantal community following Kabbalat Hatorah (the Receiving of the Torah).

Rashi (1040-1105) analyzes the meaning of “va’ye’he acharei hadevarim ha’aleh” as it pertains to our parasha in the following fashion:

And it came to pass after these matters: When he returned from Mount Moriah, Abraham was thinking and saying, “Had my son been slaughtered, he would have died without children. I should have married him to a woman of the daughters of Aner, Eshkol, or Mamre.” The Holy One, blessed be He, announced to him that Rebecca, his mate, had been born, and that is the meaning of “after these matters,” i.e., after the thoughts of the matter that came about as a result of the Akeidah (the Binding of Isaac).

Rashi’s midrashically-inspired comment focuses upon three major points. Firstly, he explains that “after these matters” refers to Abraham’s thoughts and anxieties subsequent to the Akeidah. This clarification is necessary, as confusion could result from the intervening verse between the end of the Akeidah and the words, “and it came to pass after these matters.” Secondly, Rashi’s gloss reveals Abraham’s remorse concerning his failure to find a wife for Isaac prior to the Akeidah since, theoretically, this omission could have resulted in Isaac dying without issue, signaling the end of monotheism, the most spiritually transformative movement in world history. Lastly, Rashi notes, “the Holy One blessed be He, announced to him [Abraham] that Rebecca, his [Isaac’s] mate, had been born.”

The second Sochatchover rebbe, Rav Shmuel Bornsztain zatzal (1855-1926), raises a penetrating question regarding Rashi’s explanation of our phrase, “and it came to pass after these matters.” He asks, “Why did it matter to him [Abraham] what had happened in the past [when he had not found a wife for Isaac], since Isaac had not been slaughtered [at the time of the Akeidah]?”(Sefer Shem Mishmuel, Parashat Chayeh Sarah, 1911, this and the following translations and brackets my own) In other words, why did Abraham have such depth-level angst concerning the past, when, after all, Isaac was alive and potentially able to begin a family? I believe Rav Bornsztain’s deeply insightful answer to this question captures the very essence of Abraham’s persona:

This matter [of Abraham’s consummate anxiety regarding the past] is based on the underlying notion that Abraham thought he was the reason as to why Isaac was not slaughtered [at the Akeidah]; since he had not found Isaac a wife and he had not fathered children. As such, it was impossible for the Holy One blessed be He’s words, “Please look heavenward and count the stars, if you are able to count them…So will be your seed” (15:5) to be fulfilled. This [i.e. the outcome of the Akeidah as we know it], however, would not have been the case, in Abraham’s view, if Isaac had already fathered children, for, then the Holy One blessed be He would have chosen Isaac for a korban olah (a completely consumed burnt offering). This, then, is the reason for Abraham’s consternation [after the Akeidah,] since he felt he had diminished his service to the Holy One blessed be He by not having found Isaac a wife.

In sum, we can now begin to appreciate the degree of devotion that Abraham had for Hashem. True, he certainly must have rejoiced that Isaac was alive; yet, he nonetheless was pained to the depth of his being that “he had diminished his service to the Holy One blessed be He by not having found Isaac a wife.” As Rav Bornsztain so aptly notes, “When one carefully examines the subject [of the Akeidah and Abraham’s ensuing reaction,] we can see the [spiritual] heights that he achieved and his [overwhelming] love for the Holy One blessed be He…” (Sefer Shem Mishmuel, Parashat Vayera, 1913)

Based upon the second Sochatchover rebbe’s keen analysis, we now know that Abraham’s life was the embodiment of the second verse of the Shema: “And you shall love the L-rd, your G-d, with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your means.” (Sefer Devarim 6:5) According to Rashi, these three terms convey the following meaning:

With all your heart: … Another explanation; “with all your heart,” is that your heart should not be divided [i.e., at variance] with the Omnipresent (Midrash Sifrei).And with all your soul: Even if He takes your soul (Midrash Sifrei; Talmud Bavli, Berachot 54a, 61a).And with all your means: … Another explanation of this is: You shall love G-d with whatever measure He metes out to you, whether it be the measure of good or the measure of retribution.

With the Almighty’s help, may we strive to emulate Abraham’s profound love and devotion to Hashem, with all our hearts, and with all our souls and with all our means. V’chane yihi ratzon.

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The final five pasukim (verses) of chapter 13 in Parashat Lech Lecha are well known, since they contain two promises of the Almighty to Abram, namely, that his offspring will receive the Land of Israel as a permanent inheritance, and that they will become as numerous as the dust of the earth:

And the L-rd said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Please raise your eyes and see, from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward. For all the land that you see I will give to you and to your seed to eternity. And I will make your seed like the dust of the earth, so that if a man will be able to count the dust of the earth, so will your seed be counted. Rise, walk in the land, to its length and to its breadth, for I will give it to you.” And Abram pitched his tents, and he came, and he dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and there he built an altar to the L-rd. (This and all Tanach and Rashi translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)

At this juncture, we are met in chapter 14 with the narrative of the war of the Four Kings against the Five Kings wherein Abram’s nephew, Lot, is captured during the war and subsequently saved by his uncle. Following these events, chapter 15 begins with the words: “After these incidents, the word of the L-rd came to Abram in a vision (ba-mahazeh), saying, ‘Fear not, Abram; I am your Shield; your reward is exceedingly great.’” A careful reading of the first pasuk from our section of chapter 13 reveals that it begins with the phrase, “And the L-rd said to Abram.” This represents a dialogical encounter between Hashem and Abram that gives voice to the strength of their relationship. In stark contrast, the first verse of chapter 15 represents distance and a lack of intimacy between G-d and Abram, as the Almighty does not speak to him in a direct fashion; instead, “the word of the L-rd (devar Hashem) came to Abram in a vision” – i.e. a pronouncement, rather than a two-way interaction.

My rebbe and mentor, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik zatzal (1903-1993), known as “the Rav” by his students and followers, noted this difference and analyzed it in a deeply insightful manner:

The introduction, “hayah devar Hashem el Avram ba-mahazeh, the word of the L-rd came to Abraham in a vision,” is very interesting…Here the Torah omits the term va-yomer, which it had used repeatedly to describe G-d’s encounter with Abraham, and adds the word ba-mahazeh. Va-yomer means a dialogue, a conversation held face to face. G-d encountered Abraham and addressed Himself to him. Devar Hashem connotes communication from a distance; the message got to Abraham, but indirectly. G-d was not present.Ba-mahazeh means perspective, vision. Va-yomer is a higher medium of prophecy than devar Hashem. (Abraham’s Journey: Reflections on the Life of the Founding Patriarch, pages 139-140, underlining my own)

For the Rav, ba-mahazeh teaches us that “G-d was not present,” and that He was suddenly engaging in an act of hester panim, of hiding His face from Avram. The question is why? Why did the Almighty choose “communication from a distance” instead of continued existential encounter? According to Rav Soloveitchik, this profound change was based upon the content and nature of the vision of the brit habettarim (Covenant of the Pieces) that He was about to vouchsafe to Abram:

Here G-d was a little distant, because the message G-d delivered to him was one of galut, of exile, oppression, humiliation and suffering. When the period of success and realization and fulfillment came to a conclusion, something happened. Before Abraham knew what G-d was going to tell him, he understood that the message would be different. It would be a message in which G-d would demand that Abraham pay the toll of the long road on which we have been traveling since his time, as we move toward the great objective which we all hope and believe will someday be attained and realized. “After these events,” the period of fulfillment and realization of relative peace and success, the period of Abraham the victor, came to an end.” (Page 140)

Based upon the Rav’s description of the galut that our people would, and have endured, we can readily understand why Hashem needed to reassure Abram about the ultimate future of the Jewish people. Thus the Rav states:

G-d says: “Al tira Avram, do not fear” (Sefer Bereishit 15:1). Before, G-d spoke to him face to face; now, suddenly, it is ba-mahazeh, from a distance. The word reaches him from infinity, from G-d’s transcendent abode. Abraham became apprehensive and frightened, because he recognized that the message was not one of blessing. So before delivering the message, G-d told him not to fear. Of course, I am not going to promise you riches and success, fulfillment and glory. But even though the message is different in nature and substance from My previous messages, I will protect you in galut, in exile, Sekharekha, the final reward, will take hundreds and thousands of years, but the final reward is great. On that day, ba-yom ha-hu, everything will be fulfilled, everything will be realized. (Page 140)

The Beit Hamikdash was destroyed over 2000 years ago. We have suffered a seemingly endless galut of “oppression, humiliation and suffering” that is truly second to none. Indeed, our very existence belies all of the so-called rules of history and incontrovertibly proves that it is Hashem who has protected us in the darkest hours of our bitter exile. Nonetheless, we continue to wait for the final reward that has taken “hundreds and thousand of years.” At the same time, we must never forget, “al tira Avram,” the ultimate geula (Redemption) will most surely come, and “on that day, ba-yom ha-hu, everything will be fulfilled, everything will be realized.” With Hashem’s overflowing kindness, may this time come soon and in our days! V’chane yihi ratzon.

The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:rdbe718@gmail.com.